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“It’s the same couch,” he confirmed.
Immediately she softened on his lap, resting her head against his chest.
“I love you, too.”
“I know.”
She smacked his shoulder, giggling the whole time.
It was a perfect moment.
EPILOGUE
JULIET
(Almost) One year later.
“Merry Christmas!” Mona gave Juliet a big hug, beaming at her as she and Orlando came through the front door, before turning her attention to Orlando.
“Merry Christmas, mom,” he replied, chuckling. “You look like you’re already in the Christmas spirit.”
“I am! Come on, I can use both of you in the kitchen.” With a little wave over her shoulder, she got both of them moving down the hall.
Over the past year, things had been interesting during the holidays. At Easter, she and Orlando had announced that they definitely did not consider each other brother and sister and that they were, in fact, a couple. Amara had fist-pumped and shouted “I knew it!” Everyone else, other than their parents, had been taken aback.
It had been an awkward Easter.
Thankfully, the egg hunt had taken most people’s attention, so it could have been worse.
The multitude of summer barbeques they’d deliberately attended as a couple — holding hands and being affectionate but not in-your-face PDA — really seemed to have helped. By Thanksgiving, everyone acted like it was completely normal that she and Orlando were together. Other than the grandmas, the rest of the family barely seemed to remember that they’d ever been step-siblings instead of a couple.
Though, Juliet’s grandmother had privately given her a thumbs up.
Now, as family members trickled in for the Christmas Day celebration, everyone acted like they were any other couple. They’d spent Christmas Eve with Juliet’s mom and stepdad, so they hadn’t had to deal with the combined family until today, and it was going even more smoothly than Thanksgiving. The few looks they’d gotten from the older generations were gone, and no one blinked an eye when Orlando leaned down to give her a quick kiss.
They’d been accepted. Together.
Relief flooded through her.
She was standing in the middle of the room, handing out presents, when Orlando came up behind her.
“Hot chocolate?” he asked, holding the already full mug out to her.
“Sure, if you’ll take over playing elf,” she replied with a smirk as she reached for the mug. “Thank you.”
“I think I can handle handing out a few presents.” He winked at her, putting his hand over her mug and dropping something on top of the hot chocolate.
Juliet looked down as the thing he’d dropped started to move.
Fluffy and white, it was a marshmallow but it was shaped like a circle and now that it was on top of the hot chocolate it was unfolding petal by petal into a flower. She’d seen similar things online and she made a cooing noise of appreciation that was choked off when she realized there was something shining from the center of it.
Something that was definitely not edible.
Which was when she realized the entire room had gone silent.
Jerking her gaze away from the shining silver ring in the center of the marshmallow, she didn’t have to look far to meet Orlando’s gaze — he wasn’t handing out presents. He was on his knee in front of her, his eyes dancing with mischief despite his serious expression.
“But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?”
